She frowned. “You don’t have to move out, you know. I like having you here. I was just stressed last night. I’m sorry. Do you not feel welcome?”
I went to hug her. Part of me felt bad about keeping my sleuthing to myself. It was second nature to share everything with my twin. But since she’d been so touchy the previous night, I thought it best to dig around without her knowledge.
“I should probably just see what’s out there, in terms of places to live. This is your place. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“You’re always welcome here. This is your home. You helped Dad and me with the down payment. You know that. Another option is that you stay here until Jack moves out in six months, then you take over the cabin since it’s the biggest. That is, if you want your privacy.”
“That’s an idea. We’ll see. Oh, Jack and I might go kayaking later. Too bad you have to work. You sure you don’t want me to come into the store and unpack?”
Please say no. Please say no. Please.I needed to snoop without her.
“No, you’ve had a weird week. Plus, you know I’m better with decorating.”
“This is true.” My sister was many things. Flighty, ditzy, a little high-strung. But she was also the most creative person I’d ever met.
“When you go out with Jack today, wear some nice shorts. Not the old ratty olive-colored ones. And a cute T-shirt. Look feminine. Show off your...” She waved her hands in front of her boobs. It was now ten minutes to nine. “I’m running a bit late. I’ll see you later. Maybe movie night tonight?”
“Absolutely.”
I waited until she’d pulled out of the driveway to text Jack.
Vera’s gone to work. Come over for coffee and we’ll go over the plan.
Five minutes later, there was a rapping sound at the back door. Jack stood there in black sneakers, khaki cargo pants, and a tight-fitting, long-sleeved black Henley that showcased his arm muscles in a visually appealing way. I scowled in his direction while wondering what those muscles would feel like naked.
“Very special-ops,” I said, pointing to his outfit. In my mind I imagined him on the cover of a romantic suspense novel. My favorite kind.
“You going like that?” He motioned with his nose at me. I was wearing pink pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt that said BOSTON in purple letters on the front.
“No. Vera would’ve known something was up if I was fully dressed at this hour on a Saturday. I’ll go change. There’s coffee and leftover cupcakes in the kitchen.”
While Jack took a left into the kitchen, I made my way to my room and threw on a casual black tank-top dress and a pair of black Converse sneakers. I grabbed my go bag and walked out. We were most definitely not going kayaking, and I felt terrible for telling my sister that lie.
I found Jack in the living room, sipping coffee. Catsy was on his lap, purring away.
“She really likes you.” I pointed at my white, almost three-month-old kitten and thought back to how Catsy had hidden under the bed when the electrician came a few weeks ago. “Normally she’s shy with men.”
“She knows I’m harmless.” Catsy head-butted Jack’s hand, and he addressed my cat. “Yes, you do, you big floof.”
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” I said, hands on hips. “First we’ll stop at Diego Viernes’ apartment. It’s downtown. If we happen to run into Vera—and there’s a chance we will, since the bookstore is near Cheesy Does It—we’ll just say that you’re tagging along on my apartment search. She already thinks we’re on the verge of hooking up anyway.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Also. I need you to be the good cop to my bad cop, if we talk with Diego or anyone else.”
“Why am I the good cop?”
I considered this for a second. “Because people would expect you to be the bad cop. It’ll throw people off.”
He nodded thoughtfully and sipped his coffee. “Seems reasonable.”
“After we’re finished with Diego, we’ll assess and see who else we can talk with.”
He carefully set Catsy on the floor then stood up. I reached for the mug. “Let’s do this,” he said.
After giving the kitten a scratch on the head and putting the empty mug in the kitchen, Jack and I were off.
# # #
